Emergency Telephone With Integrated Surveillance System Connectivity

ABSTRACT

Embodiments provide an emergency telephone system including an emergency telephone, an interface connecting the emergency telephone to a network, a camera on the network, the camera being focused on the emergency telephone, a control system for activating the camera, and a monitoring station for displaying camera captured data.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The subject invention is generally related to emergency telephonesystems and is specifically directed to an emergency telephone systemcapable of being connected to and integrated with a network supportedcomprehensive multi-media surveillance system.

2. Discussion of the Prior Art

It is common practice to provide emergency telephones in strategiclocations such as elevators, along highways and in various facilitiessuch as airports, schools and hospitals. Typically these telephones arepre-programmed to dial a security or response station and automaticallydial upon removal of the handset from the switch-hook or cradle. Most ofthese telephones are “Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS)” devices andare hard-wired to the landline telephone system and rely on a commoncarrier to transmit the call. In some cases, closed circuit systems ordedicated point-to-point systems sometimes called “ring-down circuits”may be utilized. More recently, some emergency telephones have beeninstalled utilizing wireless telephone technology such as cellular.Solar power of these installations allows for easy installation withoutrelying on other public services such as telephone lines and powerlines. These are appearing along remote highways, on college campuses,in parks, and in other outdoor public areas.

In use, the caller requiring emergency assistance will pick up thetelephone and once answered, will provide the responding party withdetails of the emergency. In more sophisticated installations theidentification of the emergency telephone will be conveyed utilizingCaller ID (CLID) technology, which then can index into a database andpresent the location of the telephone from which the call is being made.While these systems have been in wide use for many years, there remainseveral drawbacks to the usefulness of the system in dealing with manyemergency situations. First, the receiving station must be continuouslymanned in a specific location such as at a guard station. There are manyinstances where a guard or other personnel is busy making rounds or withother duties and is not available to answer the call immediately upontransmission. In certain types of situations, time may be a verycritical factor in dealing with the emergency, and such delays inresponse can diminish the opportunity to deal with the emergency in themost effective manner.

Further, such systems do not permit the responding personnel to make anypersonal direct assessment of the emergency. They are required to takethe information given to them as accurate and accordingly develop theirresponse. This presents a problem in determining whether the caller isoverstating or understating the emergency conditions. This problem ismagnified by the fact that the caller may be under some stress whenplacing the call and may not be able to give accurate information in acalm manner, leaving it to the response personnel to make an assessmentof the situation with less than optimum information. In extreme cases,the person making the call may be injured or even incapacitated and notbe able to make adequate disclosure of the emergency. The person mayalso be forced to flee the location of the emergency telephone before acomplete disclosure has been made.

Recently, security systems have been developed which have the capabilityof better assessing an event and of transmitting information to ahierarchy of recipients depending on the assessed conditions. Inadditions, such systems have back-up capability so that when the firstresponse destination is not available the information is forwarded toback-up response destinations in a selected priority, assuring that aresponse can be made in a timely manner. An example of such a system isshown and described in my copending applications Ser. Nos.: 09/257,720,filed on Feb. 25, 1999; 09/594,041, filed on Jun. 14, 2000; and09/853,274, filed on May 11, 2001.

Such systems greatly enhance the assessment of a situation and expediteappropriate responses. To date, emergency telephone systems have notbeen able to assure the quick and accurate responses that are availablewith the comprehensive, multi-media surveillance systems such asdescribed in the aforementioned application.

An additional disadvantage is the reliance on landline telephone systemsto transmit the call. Often this form of communication is one of thefirst systems to break down in an emergency. Alternative and back-upcommunications systems are desired to assure that an emergency call canbe properly transmitted to the intended recipient.

More recently, appliances have been designed that permit analogtelephone systems to provide voice data that can be converted to IPprotocols, permitting digitizing of the information for transmissionover digital systems such as LANS, WANS and the Internet. An example ofsuch an appliance is the MULTIVOIP Standalone voice/IP gateway applianceoffered by MultiTech Systems of Mounds View, Minn. This system supportsanalog voice and fax communication of an IP network. These voice over IPor VOIP systems permit standard, analog telephones (sometimes called bythe industry POTS—Plain Old Telephone Service telephones) to be used tocommunicate voice transmissions directly over a digital network system.Cisco Systems also makes a similar product, the ATA 186 Analog TelephoneAdapter that allows POTS telephone instruments to perform on an IPtelephone system.

Purely digital IP telephones have also been designed. These devices donot convert existing analog telephone instruments to IP; instead theyare devices that include the telephone handset, the analog todigital/digital to analog converter (CODEC) and the IP interface intoone device. These devices also facilitate transmission of voice overdigital networks such as LANS, WANS, Wireless LANS and the Internet.Cisco Systems manufactures two such IP telephones. The Cisco 12 SP+model is the Cisco IP telephone designed for business professionals andoffice workers. This voice instrument supports 12 programmable line andfeature buttons, an internal, high-quality two-way speakerphone, andmicrophone mute. This phone also features a large LCD display for callstatus and identification. An LED associated with each of the 12 featureand line buttons provides feature and line status. The Cisco 30 VIPmodel is the full-featured Cisco IP telephone for executives andmanagers. This voice instrument provides 30 programmable line andfeature buttons, an internal, high-quality, two-way speakerphone withmicrophone mute, and a transfer feature button. A large 40-character LCDdisplay features ⅝″ characters provides information such as date andtime, calling party name, calling party number, and digits dialed. AnLED associated with each of the 30 feature and line buttons providesfeature and line status.

Each model, including the analog telephone adapter with a POTS telephoneattached, is a full-featured telephone that can be plugged directly intoa standard 10BaseT Ethernet connection. Each provides toll-qualityaudio, with no need for a companion PC. Because they are IP-basedtelephones, they can be installed anywhere on a corporate IP network.The telephones are connected to typical network switched hubs androuters in a like manner to PC's. In a preferred implementation, thephones and analog telephone adapters are DHCP Dynamic Host ConfigurationProtocol (DHCP) supported and do not need to be co-located with the IPswitch. Typically the analog telephone adapters and IP telephonescommunicated with digitized compressed voice conforming to a standardsuch as the popular G.711 and G.723.1 audio compression forlow-bandwidth requirements.

Advanced functions are also provided by the more sophisticated IPtelephones. In the case of the Cisco IP Telephones, each model alsocontains an integrated Ethernet repeater, so you can use a singleEthernet switch port for the computer (data) and the IP telephone. CiscoIP telephones are also Microsoft NetMeeting(™) enabled. UsingNetMeeting, features such as application sharing and videoconferencingare available simply by pressing a button on your Cisco IP telephone.The phones are configured M using your Web browser.

It is important to note that the switching function in an IP telephonysystem is provided by one or more computer processing element(s) on thenetwork to which the IP telephones/adapters are attached. Thatprocessing element typically contains a plurality of System ProcessingEngine (SPE) cards. An SPE card is a computing platform that runs thetelephony applications that support the IP phones. The number of cardsthat are required is dependent upon the number of stations that are tobe supported. The processing elements can provide a range of telephonyapplications. Currently they include:

-   -   Call Manager Application—an application that provides connection        and management of the voice calls. This software maps        directories entries and telephone numbers to telephone sets.        This includes all of the logic necessary to “route” the data        from the IP address of the origination telephone to the correct        IP address for the destination telephones.    -   Conference Bridge Application—this function allows three or more        IP telephones and/or adapters to be connected in a virtual        conference. This requires mixing or adding of the voice        information in the digital domain and the conference bridge        application.    -   Media Transfer Point Application—this function allows connection        of calls over a wide variety of circuits. These may be        traditional telephony circuits such as ISDN, T-1, T-2, OC-3,        etc. They also may be IP circuits. An example of an IP transfer        application is the Cisco IP Transfer Point (ITP), a product for        transporting Signaling System 7 (SS7) traffic over IP (SS7oIP)        networks.    -   Integrated Voice Mail Application—this application allows the        digital streams of voice coming from the IP telephones, analog        adapters, and incoming circuit trunks to be recorded in digital        format on a System Processing Element or a designated File        Server. Access to the server can be made utilizing this        application to access the stored digital voice information over        the IP network. Access can also be accomplished from the IP        telephones, analog adapters, and incoming circuit trunks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The subject invention is directed to apparatus 1) integrating legacyemergency telephone systems into a comprehensive, multi-mediasurveillance system with network connectivity, 2) creating emergencytelephone systems with IP telephones integrated into a comprehensivemulti-media surveillance system with network connectivity, 3) providingenhanced security appliances with one-way or two-way IP audio capabilityin order to interoperate with guard stations, IP telephones, and IPanalog telephone adapters, and 4) provide a method of searching amultimedia database by voice recognition or audio processing/soundrecognition.

In the case of integrating legacy emergency telephone systems, either adigital telephone or an analog telephone system with VOIP conversion islinked into the surveillance system and transmissions therefrom aretreated as an event requiring an emergency response from the system. Byway of example, in my aforementioned copending application activation ofvarious classes of sensors and appliances will trigger specific types ofresponses and send the data to an appropriate response team. Theactivation will also initiate follow-up activity within the system, suchas, by way of example, activating cameras to start the transmission oflive video from the scene or zone where the sensor or appliance islocated. Additional actions are also initiated including, but notlimited to: mapping the area where the event occurred; providingflashing icons on a screen map showing the location of the event;sending programmed informational data transmissions to the scene;locking or unlocking secure doors depending on the event, and variousother response functions.

The subject invention is specifically directed to integration ofemergency telephone systems to take full advantage of a multi-mediasurveillance system and to permit comprehensive and multiple responsesto an event triggered by receipt of the emergency phone calltransmission. The subject invention captures the telephone transmissionand transmits it to the surveillance system processor. Upon receipt, thesystem can react with any of numerous responses. First, the telephonecall is transmitted to a manned station and may be answered in thenormal fashion with a live voice response. The receipt of the call alsoactivates the entire system in the same manner as a triggering signalfrom any other sensor or appliance. This may activate cameras focused onthe location of the telephone for transmitting live video data to themanned station as well as to the system server for management and forarchiving both the audio and video data. In addition, various otherresponses may be activated, either manually or in a pre-programmedhierarchy. For example, if the telephone call is not answered within acertain number of rings, it can be automatically sent to a second levelpriority and so on. The video of the scene is immediately presented onthe manned station screen, permitting the response personnel to monitorthe events while communicating with the person initiating the call. Inaddition, the live or archived data may be sent via a network, includingLANs, WANs and the Internet, to remote stations for monitoring andresponse.

Various sensors and appliances may be combined with the emergencytelephone system in this manner, greatly enhancing the response to thecall while at the same time permitting response personnel to monitor thecall for accuracy and authenticity.

An additional feature of the invention is to permit immediate responsefrom various response stations anywhere on the security system network.For example, the call may be sent via both wired and wirelesstransmission systems to any station. One important feature is that theemergency call can be sent directly to roving personnel via a wirelessPDA or other handheld device, virtually eliminating the likelihood of noanswer. The PDA includes full functionality with voice response and witha monitor to provide assessment of the situation. This capability isalso more fully described in my aforementioned copending application.

It is, therefore, an object and feature of the subject invention toprovide for enhancement of emergency telephone systems by incorporatingsuch systems directly into an interactive security system.

It is also an object and feature of the subject invention to provide forthe capability of monitoring and assessing the situation at the locationfrom which the call is generated.

It is an object and feature of this invention to flash an icon on themap indicating the position of the specific emergency telephone based onan emergency telephone being accessed.

It is a further object and feature of the subject invention to providefor archiving the call and additional data for later retrieval purposes.

It is an additional object and feature of the subject invention toprovide for a hierarchy for answering incoming emergency calls to assurethat if the first priority recipient does not respond additionalrecipients are contacted in an established priority.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize off-the-shelfIP telephones and/or IP analog telephone adapters as emergencytelephones for origination of emergency calls in a comprehensivemultimedia security system.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize off-the-shelfIP telephones and/or IP analog telephone adapters as response telephonesfor answering emergency calls in a comprehensive multimedia securitysystem.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize off-the-shelfIP telephones and/or IP analog telephone adapters as intercommunicationtelephones between two or more monitoring stations in order for multipleresponse personnel to hear emergency calls simultaneously.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize off-the-shelfIP telephones and/or IP analog telephone adapters as intercommunicationtelephones between two or more monitoring stations in order for multipleresponse personnel to discuss emergency response actions amongthemselves.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize off-the-shelfIP telephones and/or IP analog telephone adapters as intercommunicationtelephones to monitor audio sensors in IP security appliances.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize off-the-shelfIP telephones and/or IP analog telephone adapters as intercommunicationtelephones to speak to IP security appliances that are equipped withloud speaker output transducers.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize off-the-shelfIP telephones and/or IP analog telephone adapters to recall stored audioinformation that has been recorded in a comprehensive multimediadatabase, and to recall data that is associated with it.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize off-the-shelfIP telephones and their advanced display capability to display real timealarm events by name, location, type and description in textual andgraphical forms.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize off-the-shelfIP telephones and their advanced display capability to displayinformation on the IP telephone related to prerecorded alarm events bytime, name, location, type and description in textual and graphicalforms.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize off-the-shelfIP telephones and their advanced display capability to display a map onthe IP telephone showing the alarm location.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize off-the-shelfIP telephones and their advanced display capability to display a bargraph on the IP telephone showing the relative location of voice duringplayback of a pre-recorded audio event.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize off-the-shelfIP telephones and their advanced display capability to display real-timeevents by name, location, time and the like on the IP telephone as theyare happening, such as door access/denials, alarm sensors triggering,and the like. Audio, if available, will be presented synchronized withthe text/graphical display.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize off-the-shelfIP telephones and their advanced display capability to displaypre-recorded events by name, location, time and the like on the IPtelephone as they are happening, such as door access/denials, alarmsensors triggering, and the like. Audio, if available, will be presentedsynchronized with the test/graphical display.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize the processingelement that provides IP voice applications to host the voice processingfunctions of the comprehensive multimedia security system.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize the processingelement that provides IP voice applications to provide the audioswitching/connection functions of the comprehensive multimedia securitysystem.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize the processingelement that provides IP voice applications including the voice mailfunctions, to provide the audio recording and playback functions of thecomprehensive multimedia security system.

It is an object and feature of this invention to provide for an audiosearch capability allowing for searching by voice recognition, thenplayback of all multimedia data such as audio, video, and textual eventdata from the key point found by voice recognition.

It is an object and feature of this invention to provide for an audiosearch capability allowing for searching by audio processing seekingevents such as gunshots, loud noises, screams, and the like, thenplayback of all multimedia data such as audio, video, and textual eventdata from the key point found by audio processing.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize the IP audiocapability of a PC that is being utilized as a monitor station tointeract with analog telephones, digital telephones, IP telephones, andsecurity sensors for the purpose of monitoring the audio data.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize the IP audiocapability of a PC that is being utilized as a monitor station asresponse telephone for answering emergency calls in a comprehensivemultimedia security system.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize the IP audiocapability of PCs that are being utilized as a monitors as a telephoneas intercommunication telephones between two or more monitoring stationsin order for multiple response personnel to hear emergency callssimultaneously.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize the IP audiocapability of PCs that are being utilized as a monitors asintercommunication telephones between two or more monitoring stations inorder for multiple response personnel to discuss emergency responseactions among themselves.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize the IP audiocapability of PCs that are being utilized as a monitors as telephones tointercommunicate with as IP Telephones and/or IP analog telephoneadapters in order for multiple response personnel to hear emergencycalls simultaneously.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize the IP audiocapability of PCs that are being utilized as a monitors asintercommunication telephones to monitor audio sensors in IP securityappliances.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize the IP audiocapability of PC's that are being utilized as a monitors asintercommunication telephones to speak through speakers in IP securityappliances.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize the IP audiocapability of PC's that are being utilized as a monitors asintercommunication telephones to speak to IP security appliances thatare equipped with loudspeaker output transducers.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize the IP audiocapability of PCs that are being utilized as a monitors to recall storedaudio information that has been recorded in a comprehensive multimediadatabase, and to recall data that is associated with it.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize a PDAconfigured with a wireless LAN module and Voice-Over-IP speaker andmicrophone to operate as a mobile guard station.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize a PDAconfigured with a wireless LAN module and Voice-Over-IP speaker andmicrophone to operate as monitor for listening to IP appliances equippedwith IP microphones.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize a PDAconfigured with a wireless LAN module and Voice-Over-IP speaker andmicrophone to be utilized as an intercommunication telephone to speak toIP security appliances that are equipped with loudspeaker outputtransducers

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize a PDAconfigured with a wireless LAN module and Voice-Over-IP speaker andmicrophone to be utilized as an intercommunication telephone to speak toother monitor stations of the PC type or of the wireless PDA type forthe purposes of intercommunicating about security breaches, alarm eventsand other matters.

It is an object and feature of this invention to provide an IP securitytelephone that is encased in a protective housing and that encodesVoice-Over-IP.

It is an object and feature of this invention to provide an IP securitytelephone that is encased in a protective housing and that encodesVoice-Over-IP and that generates alarm events communicated over IP inwhen the door is opened.

It is an object and feature of this invention to provide an IP securitytelephone that is encased in a protective housing and that encodesVoice-Over-IP and that generates alarm events communicated over IP inwhen the handset is lifted off of its restraint.

It is an object and feature of this invention to provide an IP securitytelephone that is encased in a protective housing and that encodesVoice-Over-IP and that has a display that is presented with data over IPand displayed with a micro browser such as is utilized on IP desktelephones.

It is an object and feature of this invention to configure alarmappliance such that they can communicate to an IP telephony processingsystem in a manner compatible with IP telephones.

It is an object and feature of this invention to configure alarmappliance such as a multimedia camera appliance such that it cancommunicate to an IP telephony processing system in a manner consistentwith IP telephones, and originate emergency calls to a specifiedemergency monitor station or stations.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize voicerecognition to select actions based upon detection of key words, such asdetecting the word “police” signaling the police guard station, “fire”signaling the fire department station, “heart attack” or “blood” or“hurt” or “broken” signaling the EMS station, and the like.

It is an object and feature of this invention to flash an icon on themap indicating the position of the specific emergency telephone based onan emergency telephone being spoken into utilizing voice amplitudethreshold detection (VOX).

It is an object and feature of this invention to flash an icon on themap indicating a guard station response, which is indicated by a guardpushing a button, speaking into a microphone utilizing voice amplitudethreshold detection (VOX), or speaking into a POTS telephone with IPadapter or speaking into an IP telephone.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize Voice ActivatedRecording™ to gate the audio onto the Server in order to reduce theamount of storage space required. The data stream will be stamped withtime information such that during playback exact recording time may bedetermined.

It is an object and feature of this invention to provide for a bufferstatus “bar graph” to indicate health of transmitted and/or receivedaudio data in a manner previously described for video in myaforementioned pending applications..

It is an object and feature of this invention to provide an emergencytelephone with a built-in LAN interface.

It is an object and feature of this invention to provide an emergencytelephone with a built-in WAN interface.

It is an object and feature of this invention to provide an emergencytelephone with a built-in wireless LAN interface.

It is an object and feature of this invention to provide an emergencytelephone with a built-in LAN HUB.

It is an object and feature of this invention to provide an emergencytelephone with a built-in camera.

It is an object and feature of this invention to provide an emergencytelephone with a built-in camera interface for an associated externalanalog video camera.

It is an object and feature of this invention to provide an emergencytelephone with a built-in camera interface for an associated externaldigital video camera.

It is an object and feature of this invention to provide a specializedIP video camera that is configured for hosting an interface for anassociated analog or POTS emergency telephone.

It is an object and feature of this invention to provide a specializedIP video camera that is configured for hosting an interface to anassociated digital emergency telephone.

It is an object and feature of this invention to provide a specializedIP video camera that has an internal LAN HUB. It is an object andfeature of this invention to provide a specialized IP video camera thathas a built-in WAN interface.

It is an object and feature of this invention to provide a specializedemergency telephone modem that has a built-in interface for an analogcamera and a built in interface for a built-in analog or POTS telephone.

It is an object and feature of this invention to provide a specializedemergency telephone modem configured with a LAN interface that has abuilt-in interface for an analog camera and a built in interface for abuilt-in analog or POTS telephone.

It is an object and feature of this invention to provide a specializedemergency telephone modem configured with a WAN interface that has abuilt-in interface for an analog camera and a built in interface for abuilt-in analog or POTS telephone.

It is an object and feature of this invention to provide a specializedemergency telephone modem configured with a wireless LAN interface thathas a built-in interface for an analog camera and a built in interfacefor a built-in analog or POTS telephone.

It is an object and feature of this invention to configure an emergencytelephone to receive power over a LAN connection in a well-known mannerto power the emergency telephone.

It is an object and feature of this invention to configure an emergencytelephone to receive power over a WAN connection in a well-known mannerto power the emergency telephone's associated camera.

It is an object and feature of this invention to configure an emergencytelephone to receive power over a WAN connection in a well-known mannerto power the emergency telephone.

It is an object and feature of this invention to configure an emergencytelephone to receive power over a LAN connection in a well-known mannerto power the emergency telephone's associated camera.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize SessionInitiated Protocol (SIP) to establish and maintain voice connectionsbetween emergency telephones and fixed guard stations.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize SessionInitiated Protocol (SIP) to establish and maintain voice connectionsbetween emergency telephones and wireless guard stations.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize SessionInitiated Protocol (SIP) to establish and maintain voice connectionsbetween guard stations.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize SessionInitiated Protocol (SIP) to establish and maintain voice connectionsbetween guard stations and standard telephone networks and telephones.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize SessionInitiated Protocol (SIP) to establish and maintain voice connectionsbetween multiple voice elements, including guard stations, emergencytelephones, and standard telephones.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize SessionInitiated Protocol (SIP) to establish voice links between securitysensors that have audio capability for monitoring and guard stations ortelephones.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize SessionInitiated Protocol (SIP) to provide event notification from sensors toclients, such as guard stations, that an event of interest should bemonitored.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize SessionInitiated Protocol (SIP) to provide an indication of a failure of eventnotification from sensors to clients, such as guard stations, that anevent of interest should be monitored and why the failure occurred (i.e.no answer, circuit not available, and the like).

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize SessionInitiated Protocol (SIP) to provide initiation of an audio stream from asecurity sensor appliance that is equipped with an audio transducer.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize SessionInitiated Protocol (SIP) to provide initiation of a video stream from asecurity sensor appliance that is equipped with a video transducer.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize SessionInitiated Protocol (SIP) to provide initiation of a step-video streamfrom a security sensor appliance that is equipped with a videotransducer.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize SIP Proxyservers for information security authentication and authorization ofconnection to security sensor appliances and/or guard stations orelements utilized as monitor points.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize SIP redirectorservers for routing security messages from location to location.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize SIP registrarservers to process requests from security appliances or guard stationsfor registration of their current location.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize SIP gateways toprovide connection control between security appliances, security guardstations, SIP endpoints and other terminal types.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize SIP gateways toprovide translation functions as required including audio and videoCODEC translations between security appliances, security guard stations,SIP endpoints and other terminal types.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize H.323 Protocolto establish and maintain voice connections between emergency telephonesand fixed guard stations.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize H.323 Protocolto establish and maintain voice connections between emergency telephonesand wireless guard stations.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize H.323 Protocolto establish and maintain voice connections between guard stations.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize H.323 Protocolto establish and maintain voice connections between guard stations andstandard telephone networks and telephones.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize H.323 Protocolto establish and maintain voice connections between multiple voiceelements, including guard stations, emergency telephones, and standardtelephones.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize H.323 Protocolto establish voice links between security sensors that have audiocapability for monitoring and guard stations or telephones.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize H.323 Protocolto provide event notification from sensors to clients, such as guardstations, that an event of interest should be monitored.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize H.323 Protocolto provide an indication of a failure of event notification from sensorsto clients, such as guard stations, that an event of interest should bemonitored and why the failure occurred (i.e. no answer, circuit notavailable, and the like).

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize H.323 Protocolto provide initiation of an audio stream from a security sensorappliance that is equipped with an audio transducer.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize H.323 Protocolto provide initiation of a video stream from a security sensor appliancethat is equipped with a video transducer.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize H.323 Protocolto provide initiation of a step-video stream from a security sensorappliance that is equipped with a video transducer.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize H.323 Protocolgateways to provide connection control between security appliances,security guard stations, SIP endpoints and other terminal types.

It is an object and feature of this invention to utilize H.323 Protocolgateways to provide translation functions as required including audioand video CODEC translations between security appliances, security guardstations, SIP endpoints and other terminal types.

Other objects and features of the subject invention will be readilyapparent from the accompanying drawings and description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing certain features of a surveillance systemand an emergency telephone system in combination therewith.

FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 1 showing analog telephone conversioncapability.

FIG. 3 shows a system as illustrated in FIG. 1, adapted forincorporating a multi-station emergency telephone network.

FIG. 4 is a modification showing the use of IP emergency telephones witha power inserter and a hub for driving the emergency telephone systemand certain appliances such as the illustrated cameras.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a system wherein the legacy emergencytelephone is replaced by a speaker and microphone appliance for use asan entry sentry device.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of a system having a dual monitor guardstation with VOIP telephone connected to an IP network.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of a system having multiple dual monitor guardstations having a microphone and speaker communications system.

FIG. 8 is an illustration of a multiple manned station system. Note themultiple voice IP capability between all stations.

FIG. 9 is an illustration of a PDA handheld device for origination andreceiving of VOIP calls in accordance with the subject invention.

FIG. 10 is an illustration of a comprehensive multi-functional unit forVOIP connectivity.

FIG. 11A is a flow diagram of circuitry for connecting the emergencytelephone to the surveillance system utilizing IP technology.

FIG. 11B is a flow diagram of circuitry for connecting the emergencytelephone to the surveillance system utilizing wireless IP technology.

FIG. 12A is an illustration of a VOIP telephone system with companionvideo over a LAN.

FIG. 12B is a flow diagram of the circuitry for the system of FIG. 12A.

FIG. 13A is an illustration of a system similar to FIG. 12A, adapted fora WAN.

FIG. 13B is a flow diagram of the circuitry for the system of FIG. 13A.

FIG. 14A is a an illustration of a system having wireless units and atransmitter system for a VOIP telephone with companion video.

FIG. 14B is a flow diagram of the circuitry for the system of FIG. 14A.

FIG. 15A shows multiple, mixed units in a system, connected over a LAN.

FIG. 15B is a flow diagram of the circuitry for the system of FIG. 15A.

FIG. 15C is an optional flow diagram of the circuitry for the system ofFIG. 15B, with an internal camera.

FIG. 16A is similar to FIG. 15A for a WAN.

FIG. 16B is a flow diagram of the circuitry for the system of FIG. 16A.

FIG. 17A is an illustration of a system having wireless units and atransmitter system for a VOIP telephone, with an internal camera.

FIG. 17B is a flow diagram of the circuitry for the system of FIG. 17A.

FIG. 18A is an illustration of a system having VOIP with companion videousing a switching hub.

FIG. 18B illustrates the LAN interface configuration for the system ofFIG. 18A.

FIG. 18C illustrates the LAN interface configuration for a systemsimilar to FIG. 18A, but having an internal camera.

FIG. 19A is an illustration of a system having a VOIP telephone with aninternal LAN hub and a companion IP camera.

FIG. 19B illustrates the LAN interface configuration for the system ofFIG. 19A.

FIG. 19C illustrates the LAN interface configuration for a systemsimilar to FIG. 19A, but having an internal camera.

FIG. 20A is an illustration of a system for a VOIP telephone with aninternal LAN modem and hub for an IP camera.

FIG. 20B illustrates the basic WAN configuration for the system of FIG.20A.

FIG. 20C illustrates the basic WAN VOIP telephone configuration for thesystem of FIG. 20A.

FIG. 20D illustrates the basic WAN VOIP telephone configuration for thesystem of FIG. 20A with an integral LAN hub.

FIG. 20E illustrates the basic WAN VOIP telephone configuration for thesystem of FIG. 20A with an integral LAN hub and an internal camera.

FIG. 21A is an illustration of a wireless VOIP telephone and companionwireless video.

FIG. 21B is an illustration of the flow diagram for the circuitry ofFIG. 21A.

FIG. 21C is an illustration of the flow diagram for the circuitry ofFIG. 21A, with an internal camera.

FIG. 22A is a system similar to that of FIG. 21A, with a switched hub.

FIG. 22B is an illustration of the flow diagram for the circuitry ofFIG. 22A.

FIG. 22C is an illustration of the flow diagram for the circuitry ofFIG. 22A, with an internal camera.

FIG. 23A is an illustration of a VOIP telephone and companion videosystem for a WAN.

FIG. 23B is an illustration of the flow diagram for the circuitry ofFIG. 23A.

FIG. 23C is an illustration of the flow diagram for the circuitry ofFIG. 23A, with an internal camera.

FIG. 24A is an illustration of a system similar to that of FIG. 23A,with a switched hub.

FIG. 24B is an illustration of the flow diagram for the circuitry ofFIG. 24A.

FIG. 25A is an illustration of an analog telephone or a POTS telephonewith an integrated LAN and VOIP encoder and companion video.

FIG. 25B is an illustration of the flow diagram for the circuitry ofFIG. 25A.

FIG. 26A is an illustration of an analog telephone with companion IPvideo with the analog telephone signal converted to IP in an internalconverter in the companion video unit.

FIG. 26B is an illustration of the flow diagram for the circuitry ofFIG. 26A.

FIG. 27A is a wireless version of the system of FIG. 26A.

FIG. 27B is an illustration of the flow diagram for the circuitry ofFIG. 27A.

FIG. 28A is an illustration of an optional VOIP telephone system havingcompanion and internal video configured for a WAN.

FIG. 28B is an illustration of the flow diagram for the circuitry ofFIG. 28A, with companion video.

FIG. 28C is an illustration of the flow diagram for the circuitry ofFIG. 28A, with internal video.

FIGS. 29A-D are schematics of the processor, RAM and NVM for thecircuits of the various embodiments.

FIG. 30 is a schematic of the audio interface for the circuits of thevarious embodiments, specifically the emergency telephone audiocircuits.

FIGS. 31A-C are schematics of the LAN interface for the circuits of thevarious embodiments.

FIGS. 32A-D are schematics of the WLAN interface for the circuits of thevarious embodiments.

FIGS. 33A-F are schematics of the video interface for the circuits ofthe various embodiments.

FIG. 34 is a schematic of the power supply for the circuits of thevarious embodiments.

FIG. 35 is an illustration of a system interconnect for voice gatewaysimplemented with an SIP VOIP, network.

FIG. 36 is a diagram of an SIP request path through a proxy server,supporting the system of FIG. 35.

FIG. 37 shows the SIP response path through a proxy server.

FIG. 38 shows an SIP session through a proxy server.

FIG. 39 shows an SIP request through a redirect server.

FIG. 40 shows an SIP session through a redirect server.

FIG. 41 is an illustration of SIP gateway-to-gateway call via an SIPproxy server with a record route.

FIG. 42 shows a gateway-to-gateway call with call redirection.

FIG. 43 shows an SIP gateway-to-SIP gateway call setup.

FIG. 44 is a representation of recorded surveillance audio data beingsearched to generate an index into a comprehensive multimedia database.

FIG. 45 is a representation of how voice recognition routes signalingamong multiple monitoring stations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A typical surveillance system as more fully described in myaforementioned copending application is shown in FIG. 1 and includes, inthis example, IP cameras C1, C2, C3, C4 and C5; a pair of manned guardstation No. 1 and No. 2 on the intranet or LAN 10; a system server 12also on the intranet 10; a gateway 14 to the Internet or other Wide AreaNetwork (WAN) 16 and remote support such as the remote monitor station18. An emergency IP voice telephone 20 is connected to the system viathe intranet 10. In this embodiment, the emergency telephone sends IPprotocol voice transmissions to the system via the intranet, where thesystem can capture the incoming call signal and transmit it to thevarious guard stations No. 1 and No. 2 and, via the Internet 16, to theremote station 18. This transmission can be done simultaneously or in ahierarchal order, as preferred and as managed by the server 12. Inaddition, once the incoming call is received, the location of thetelephone 20 is identified and the appropriate IP cameras C1 and C2 areactivated to start transmitting video data to the stations and to theserver. This permits the guard personnel to quickly monitor and assessthe situation at the monitor screens provided at each of the variousstations. The personnel at each of the stations may communicate directlywith the caller at the emergency telephone 20 via the microphone/speakersystem 22, 24 as provided at guard station No. 2 or via a VOIP telephone26 as provided at guard station No. 1 or the remote station 18. Theemergency call can be received and heard by guard stations No. 1, No. 2and No. 3 simultaneously. Any or all of the three guard stations canrespond to the caller at emergency telephone 20 by pushing theirpush-to-talk at their station, or if desired by activating voiceoperated switching (VOX) by speaking. Further, if one guard station isresponding with voice, all of the other guard stations will hear theaudio from the responding station. Audio is enabled by more than onestation by an audio bridge function in a well-known manner consistentwith IP telephony. This function can operate on any processing node onthe system capable of audio bridging, but the preferred embodiment wouldimplement this function on the security server element 12. It can alsobe implemented on a different element than the security server 12, forexample could be implemented on the corporate IP telephone processingsystem (not shown). Additional surveillance activity may also beinitiated by the call in accordance with the full capability of thesystem described in my aforementioned copending application. Forexample, a map on one of the monitors at each station may include aflashing icon showing the location of the emergency call. It also canflash based on voice (VOX) activation, from the emergency telephone 20.Audio response from guard stations No. 1, 2 and 3 can also trigger VOXwhich will flash the icon for that respective guard station that hadaudio. Also, various security functions may be performed such assecuring the facility or opening escape doors. Response instructions maybe sent to response teams either automatically based on programmedresponses or voice recognition of key words from the emergency telephone20 or manually selected by the response personnel. In sum, theincorporation of the emergency telephone system into the surveillancenetwork permits the telephone to be used as a full function appliance aswith the many other sensors and appliances on the system.

A modification of the system is shown in FIG. 2, wherein a legacy analogtelephone 30 may be connected to the system using a Voice Over IPconverter appliance 32 for converting the voice signal to IP protocol.The station telephones 34 may also be analog telephones connected with aconverter 32. Signaling from the analog telephone can be generated bythe telephone going off-hook, by special contacts provided in theenclosure of emergency telephone 30, and can be further enhanced byperforming voice recognition on the voice stream coming from theemergency telephone 30.

A modification showing the incorporation of an existing emergencytelephone network of multiple telephones is shown in FIG. 3. An exampleof this system may be the use of an emergency telephone in each of aplurality of elevator cars in a large building. In this system aplurality of emergency telephones E1-E4 are connected through a PBXswitch 36. A single VOIP converter gateway device 38 is required toconvert the call transmissions to IP protocol. In this embodiment, otheranalog telephones are also support such as the independent telephone 40and various other components such as facsimile machines and the like.Also, the original response telephone 42 may be used in combination witha typical manned station 19. One advantage to this configuration is thatthe system may be readily expanded by connecting additional analogtelephones to the PBX switch 36 or by connecting compatible VOIPtelephones such as telephone E5 directly to the intranet via the powerinserter 42 and hub 44 which is used to connect the various IP camerasC1, C2, C3 and C4. It should be noted that the power inserter 42 is notrequired if each of the components have local power. It should also benoted that the camera does not need to be a separate component but couldbe imbedded in compatible telephones such as the VOIP telephone E5.Analog cameras can also be utilized with IP encoders in a manner asdisclosed in my other applications. The PBX 36 utilizes a data gateway39 to transmit call identification information such as Caller ID (CLID)to the monitor stations. This can be utilized to announce the particularemergency telephone that is originating the call and to activate iconson a floor plan associated with individual emergency telephones.

A multiple unit VOIP telephone system configuration is shown in FIG. 4.In this configuration all of the emergency telephones E1, E2 and E3 areVOIP telephones connected directly to the intranet via the powerinserter 42 and hub 44, as are the various IP cameras C1-C6. AdditionalVOIP telephones such as telephone E4 may be added with or without thecameras. This is a “pure” IP solution and therefore is the preferredembodiment of the appliance implementations allowing for greatflexibility in deployment over an IP network that is configured formultiple rooms, buildings, and widespread geographic locations. The sameswitches, routers, and circuits that are providing an enterprise widecomputer interconnection can be utilized for multimedia securityintegrated with voice over IP.

One advantage of the voice over IP technology is that other voicedevices may be connected in addition to or as an alternative to theemergency telephone systems. As shown in FIG. 5, a speaker/microphonesystem 46 with VOIP capability can be used in connection with a dooraccess control system such as the strike control 48, the card swipe 50,or other similar access control device. This permits the personnel atstation 1 to communicate with an individual seeking access through thedoor. The related cameras C1 and C2 also give visual monitoringcapability. One method of use is as follows. A person swipes his card at50. The server (not shown) will verify the validity of the card and openthe door after utilizing the IP electric strike 48. As an extension ofthe process, the swiping of the card can signal the guard station 1 andflash the image of the person desiring entry with cameras C1, C2 and C3in the intercom unit. The unlocking of the door would be blocked. Imagesfrom the cameras will be stored on the server. The database will pull upthe information about the person desiring entry and display it on theguard station 1. The guard can then decide to authorize entry (or not)and unlock the electric IP strike 48 (or not). If the guard desired tocommunicate with the person desiring entry, a VOIP session would beestablished between guard station 1 VOIP telephone and the IP intercommodule 46. A camera directly on the intercom module C3 can provide aclose-up image of the subject.

As another example, a person not having a badge at all can request entryby depressing PTT button on intercom 46. This will generate an event andsignal the guard station 1. The guard can then respond utilizing IP andcarry on a conversation with the subject at intercom 45. The images fromcameras C1, C2 and C3 are being recorded on the database. The guard candecide to send the command to electric strike 48 (or not) and unlock thedoor (or not). The voice from the guard at station 1 and the voice ofthe person at the door speaking into intercom 46 can be recorded as VOIPon the multimedia server. This recorded voice can be played back withtime information later in an investigation, and can be played back insynchrony with video and/or images captured by cameras C1, C2 and C3,and events such as PTT button pushes such as PTT on intercom 46.

It will be noted that the power inserter 42 and the hub 44 can bereplaced with a powered hub 50, as desired. Industry standards arecurrently being developed for powered IP devices, but are not yet inplace. The techniques available for power insertion are outline in myaforementioned copending applications. Also, it should be noted that thepowered hub or power inserter is not required where local power issupplied to each device. This is true for all of the variousconfigurations disclosed herein.

An enlarged view of guard station No. 1 (FIG. 1) is shown in FIG. 6. Theprocessor 90 is connected to the network 10 and includes typical inputdevices such as the keyboard 92 and the mouse or trackball 94. Theprocessor supports two or more monitors 96 and 98 to permit full screenview of multiple cameras and to permit one monitor to be used fordisplaying a camera transmission while the other is used for system datasuch as a system map or the like. In this configuration a VOIP telephone26 is used to communicate with the integrated emergency telephonesystem. Both the digitized voice and the digitized sensor data such asencoded camera data is communicated over network 10.

Guard station No. 2 (FIG. 1) is shown in FIG. 7. It is the same in allrespects to guard station No. 1 with the exception that the VOiPtelephone is replaced with the more typical microphone 22 and speaker24. Half duplex operation (PTT or VOX) is preferred. The microphone mayhave a push-to-talk button 23 integral to the microphone, or the buttonson the mouse 94 can be utilized for Push-To-Talk (PTT). Voice OperatedSwitching (VOX) can also be utilized, or full duplex operation (lessdesirable, particularly in multi-station installations.)

FIG. 8 shows a typical system with multiple emergency VOIP telephones E1and E2, with at least one of the telephones (here telephone E2) havingcameras C1 and C2 focused on the zone surrounding it. All components areconnected via the intranet 10 to server 12 and two LAN guard stationsGS1 and GS2 and a remote guard station GS3 via the Internet 16. Duringan emergency call, multiple guard stations can be alerted when the doorof the emergency telephone is opened, when the handset is picked up, orwhen a button is pushed. During the call the voice of the subject atemergency telephone E2 would be communicated over IP to one or moreguard stations. The broadcast protocol easily enables transmitting voiceto all stations. Unicast from the emergency telephone E2 to the server12, followed by unicast transmissions to the individual guard stationscan then be implemented. A hybrid of unicast and broadcast can bebeneficial when, for example, GS1 and GS2 are both on a local networkthat does not have quality of service (QOS) issues. The station GS3, onthe other hand, does have QOS issues such as packets being delivered outof sequence because it is being delivered over the Internet through anunspecified plurality of switches and routers. In this case transmittingunicast to the guard station GS3 is an advantage.

Note that not only can guard stations GS1, GS2 and GS3 can listen toaudio from emergency telephone E2, they can talk back to E2 utilizingtheir microphones. Any or all guard stations can call back in a“junkyard” technique. That is all stations on the network can hear allother stations on the net when they talk. Again, this can be implementedby all stations utilizing multicast in transmitting their signaling andaudio, or by utilizing a server such as server 12 as a conferencebridge.

In the preferred embodiment, in all cases the audio from all emergencytelephones and all guard stations will be recorded on server 12 forfuture investigative playback. Additional data would also be recorded toallow exact determination of time and determination of which telephoneor guard station is recording. Voice Activated Recording™ would beutilized to reduce data required on the security database.

FIG. 9 shows a typical PDA 100 having a wireless LAN access card forreceiving data from the system via a wireless access point, as describedin my aforementioned copending application. The Wireless LAN (WLAN)standards 802.11, 802.11A, 802.11B or any subsequent standard may beimplemented. The PDA includes a monitor display screen 102, a microphone104 and a speaker 106. This permits a roving guard to communicatedirectly with the emergency telephone user even when not present at thepermanent guard station, station 1 or station 2. Voice transmit andreceive data would be communicated with digitized compressed voice suchas the popular G.711 and G.723.1 audio compression for low-bandwidthrequirements. The voice data streams would be transmitted over the WLAN.The voice would be communicated in exactly the same manner as has beendescribed for the wired monitor and guard stations in this application.Other multimedia data would displayed on the PDA display 102. Thisincludes textual data, images, and fall motion streams such as MPEG-1 orMPEG-4. These streams also would be communicated over the wirelesschannel in concert with the audio. All multimedia data would be playedin a synchronous manner, such that voice, video and data would belargely synchronized.

Wireless streams are subject to widespread drop-outs and distortionsfrom well know RF aberrations such as multipath, noise, absorption, andthe like. In order to recover from reception problems, a receive buffermay be utilized. This buffer will ebb and flow with data, filling whenthe signal is strong and clear, and emptying when the signal is weak ornoisy. A bar graph is implemented for the audio, and video as waspreviously disclosed in my aforementioned earlier application, such thatthe user of the portable station can be assisted in keeping the signalstrong and keep the audio buffer fall to provide for continuous clearaudio. In the preferred application, the user would move the PDA toareas to keep the bar graph high. When the user saw the bar falling,they would be alerted to move to improve the signal strength. With thefrequencies utilized in 802.11 systems, this may amount to distances ofonly a few inches.

FIG. 10 shows an SIP IP telephone configured to be used in conjunctionwith the system of the subject invention. An example of a suitable SIPtelephone is the Cisco Systems' SIP IP Phone for use in VOIPinfrastructure solutions. The telephone here described is not novel, perse, but the application in accordance with the overall system of thesubject invention is believed to be a novel application. The telephoneis described to permit a better understanding of the various featuresuseful when employed by the subject invention. The SIP phone includes anLCD screen 200 for displaying information transmitted in text or videoformat. The line buttons 202 are used to open a new line in multipleline systems. The information button and keys 204 provide access tophone control information. The control keys 206 are volume control keysand are used to increase or decrease the volume of the handset, headsetor speakerphone options. Keys 208 are soft keys used to activate textfunctions displayed on the LCD screen. Dial pad keys 210 are standarddial pad touch-tone keys. The handset is designated by the numeral 212.This telephone can be used in any of the various configurations forincorporating a VOIP telephone in accordance with the variousembodiments of the invention.

FIGS. 11A and 11B show a basic circuit for connecting a VOIP telephoneto a network. Specifically, FIG. 11A shows a hard-wired LANconfiguration and FIG. 11B shows a wireless LAN (WLAN) configuration. Inboth cases, the VOIP telephone includes a handset 60 carried in asuitable housing 62 with a call button or call keypad 73. In a typicalinstallation the housing will have a suitable door 64. In theseconfigurations, the telephone is hardwired to an interface via the RJ-45jack 66. Handset/cradle contacts 70 are responsive to use of the handsetfor activating the telephone. When the contacts are activated thecontrol circuit 68 is operational to activate the protocol processor 72.The handset includes an earphone 74 and associated decoder 76, and amicrophone 78 and associated encoder 80 for transmitting voice data toand receiving voice data from the protocol processor. A door switch orother control switches may also be employed through a status circuit 82to further control the activation and deactivation of the telephone. Theprotocol processor communicates with the LAN interface 84. In theembodiment of FIG. 11A, power may be provided over the LAN via thetransformer 86 and power supply 82 and/or may be powered by auxiliaryexternal power. The configuration of FIG. 11B for the wireless LAN isidentical through the LAN interface 84, but includes a wireless LANreceiver 85. The power supply 88 is connected to local external power.

Power for operating subscriber equipment has been distributed bycentralized telephone plants since before the turn of the century. Thistechnique was initially applied to powering carbon granule variableresistance telephone transmitters with batteries in the telephoneexchange. This was called “common battery” equipment. Techniquesdeveloped for distributing the power over the same pair of wires thatthe signal was transmitted on. This is called “loop powered” equipment.

Since the early days of telephony, other devices have been configured tooperate over the telephone loop. For example, Plain Old TelephoneService, or POTS, typically distributes—48 VDC central office batterypower through a current loop to the subscriber. This is commonlyutilized to power the telephone, but is now also utilized to powersimple devices such as caller ID units or call blocking devices.

With the advent of Wide Area Network (WAN) digital subscriber loops,such as T-1, ISDN, DSL and the like, powering of subscriber equipmentfrom the central office over the data loop has not been utilized. On theother hand, digital termination devices or “loop extenders” have beenpowered over the loop. Common loop power conventions include −48 VDC and−130 VDC loop power sources. One such standard for loop power is theTR-TSY-000057 Class A2 standard for powering ISDN or DSL terminationdevices. An example of a termination device that utilizes this techniqueis the Digicom BritePort 9100 ADSL Modem. This device draws 7.33 wattsat −79 VDC, and is current limited to 55 mA. Another such device is theAdtran TRI-R “Total Reach” ISDN remote unit. This device is a looppowered ISDN Simple Coded-Pulse Amplitude Modulation (SC PAM) modem thatis utilized to transport 160 kpbs data to the subscriber end over longerloops without repeaters. Other examples of remote loop terminationequipment also exist.

In the subject invention, the emergency telephone, IP camera, andaudio/video analog modem devices described in this invention utilizedembedded WAN interfaces such as DSL or ISDN. These devices areconfigured with internal “WAN Power Tap” circuits that utilize thecentral office battery, such as TR-TSY-000057 Class A2 standard power,for powering not only the WAN interface, but also the emergencytelephone and/or associated camera. This provides ultimate simplicityand lowest cost installation of the emergency telephone and videosurveillance camera devices because it is a “one unit” install. In otherwords, the central office pair that is hosting both two way data andpower is brought directly into the security appliance. This minimizesthe number of devices to buy, install, protect and maintain. This isparticularly attractive for outdoor installations where the pair can bebrought directly into the appliance's water resistant housing.

My aforementioned copending applications discuss powering an IP videocamera over the same wiring as the LAN data signal, much in the mannerdescribed for the WAN above. The preferred embodiment of the emergencytelephone of this invention is also powered in this manner. This recenttechnique has been adopted by IP Telephony manufacturers such as CiscoSystems, Inc. in their VOIP telephones. An example of this telephone isthe model 7960. Cisco at this time utilized a proprietary technique forpower insertion on to the LAN wiring. There are industry groupscurrently defining standard techniques for power insertion that willlikely be adopted on a widespread basis.

The emergency telephone, IP camera, and audio/video analog modem devicesdescribed in this invention may utilize embedded LAN interfaces. Thesedevices are configured with internal “LAN Power Tap” for powering notonly the LAN interface, but also the emergency telephone and/orassociated camera. This again provides ultimate simplicity and lowestcost installation of the emergency telephone and video surveillancecamera devices because it is a “one unit” install. In other words, theLAN CAT-5 cable that is hosting both two way data and power is broughtdirectly into the security appliance. This minimizes the number ofdevices to buy, install, protect and maintain. This is particularlyattractive for outdoor installations where the pair can be broughtdirectly into the appliance's water resistant housing.

FIGS. 12A-28C show various configurations for the system and demonstrateits wide versatility. FIGS. 12A and 12B show a typical local or LANinstallation and supporting circuitry, respectively. In thisconfiguration each telephone is a standard POTS telephone 300 with aseparate companion video camera 302. The telephone and camera are eachhardwired to a LAN interface 304 for communication over the LAN 306. Thebasic circuitry modules are shown in FIG. 12A. The heart of theinterface is the processor 308. The telephone circuitry in the interfacemodule 304 includes the tone decoder/generator 310, the ring generator312 and an audio codec 314. DC power is supplied by over the LAN powertap 316, external power 318 or an external power supply 320 to the DCtransformer 322. The camera 302 includes a video front-end circuit 324,and a digital video encoder 326. The video and voice signals are managedby the processor 308 that is connected to the LAN protocol circuit 328that is connected to the LAN interface 330.

A similar system for a wide area network or WAN 332 is shown in FIGS.13A and 13B. As shown in FIG. 13B, the LAN interface is replaced with aWAN protocol circuit 335 and a WAN modem 334. The power split 336 isoptional.

A wireless configuration for either the LAN or WAN is shown in FIGS. 14Aand 14B. In this configuration the interface module 338 includes a WLANtransceiver 337 and antenna 339 for transmitting a wireless signal to asuitable wireless access point 340 which is connected to the LAN or WAN.

As shown in FIGS. 15A, 15B and 15C each telephone 300 may include acompanion camera 302 or an integral camera 342 or a combination. In thisconfiguration the LAN interface is an integral part of the telephonecomponent. The circuitry for an external companion camera is shown inFIG. 15B. The circuitry for a system including an optional integralcamera is shown in FIG. 15C. All of the processing circuitry isself-contained within the housing for the telephone 300. In thisconfiguration the telephone can include an optional display 344, such asthe LCD display of the telephone of FIG. 10. An integral camera 346 isshown in FIG. 15C.

The same hardware system configured for a WAN is shown in FIGS. 16A and16B, with the LAN interface component being replaced with the WANprotocol circuitry 335, the WAN interface 333 and the WAN modem 334. Thewireless configuration is shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B. In thisconfiguration, the telephone is equipped with an integral WLAN interface350 that operates in the same manner as the external wireless interfacemodule 338 shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B. The cameras may be internalcameras 346, companion cameras 302, or a combination. In thisconfiguration the companion camera interface 352 is an integral part ofthe telephone 300.

FIGS. 18A-C, and FIGS. 19A-C show various configurations utilizingswitched hubs 352. In the configuration of FIGS. 18A-C the camera signalis connected directly to the hub. In FIGS. 19A-C the camera signal isconnected to an integral interface provided in the telephone unit. Asshown in FIG. 18A, not all cameras 302 and telephones 300 are requiredto be connected through the hub 352. A combination of direct connect andhub connect components may be deployed. FIG. 18B is a circuit without acamera component and FIG. 18C includes an integral camera component.FIGS. 19A-C show a similar set up with the camera interface being anintegral component of the telephone, as previously shown in FIGS.15A-17C.

An emergency telephone system with a VOIP telephone with an internal LANmodem and hub for an IP camera is shown in FIGS. 20A-20E. In thisconfiguration the telephone 300 includes either or both of a LANinterface and a WAN modem 334 for supporting the telephone 300,companion camera 302 and/or the integral camera 346. The basic WANconfiguration is shown in FIG. 20B. The WAN VOIP configuration withinternal camera is shown in FIG. 20C. A WAN VOIP configuration forsupporting a companion camera with an internal hub is shown in FIG. 20D.A comprehensive system for supporting both companion cameras andinternal cameras is shown in FIG. 20E.

A wireless configuration is shown in FIGS. 21A-21C. In thisconfiguration each companion camera 302 and each telephone 300 isprovided with an integral wireless transceiver 350 and antenna 339 fortransmitting wireless signals to an access point 340. The access pointis connected to a WAN 332 via a WAN modem 334 or to a LAN 306 via a LANinterface 328. A basic configuration with companion cameras is shown inFIG. 21B. The system is adapted to support internal cameras in FIG. 21C.

A wireless configuration wherein the telephone 300 includes an internalLAN interface 328 is shown in FIGS. 22A-22C. In this configuration thecompanion camera includes a transceiver 350 and an antenna 339. Thetelephone 300 includes a mated transceiver 350 and antenna 339 forreceiving data from and transmitting data to the camera. The separateunits may be coupled to a hub 352 or connected directly to the LAN 206or through a WAN modem 334 to a WAN 332. A basic system for a companioncamera is shown in FIG. 22B. The system includes an integral camera inFIG. 22C.

A wireless system with integral WAN modem is shown in FIGS. 23A-23C. Inthis configuration the telephone units 300 include an integral WAN modemor interface 333 for connecting the unit and the companion camera 302and/or integral camera 346 to the WAN 332. The companion camera 302 iswirelessly connected to the associated telephone unit using matedtransceivers 350 and antennas 339. A basic system with companion camerasis shown in FIG. 23C. The configuration including the internal camera346 is shown in FIG. 23C.

The configuration of Figs: 24A-24B includes a wireless telephone 300connected to a companion camera 302 that is connected to the LAN/WAN viaa suitable modem 334 or hub 352. In this instance the telephone datasignals are sent to and from the camera via a wireless connectioncomprising the mated transceivers 350 and antennas 339. The system mayoptionally include internal cameras 346. The version without an internalcamera and with direct interconnect to the LAN is shown in FIG. 24B.

A companion IP camera is shown in combination with an analog telephoneand VOIP encoder in FIGS. 25A-25B. In this configuration an analog orPOTS telephone 300 may be connected to a companion camera 302. Eachcamera includes an interface component 328 with conversion means for thetelephone signal, permitting connection to the WAN/LAN 306/332. As shownin FIG. 25B the conversion components for converting the telephonesignal to IP protocol is contained in the IP camera, specifically thetone generator decoder 310, ring generator 312, audio codec 314 andpower supply 322.

A companion IP camera is shown in combination with a VOIP telephone inFIGS. 26A-26B, and is similar to the system of FIGS. 25A and 25B. Thecamera LAN interface is replaced with a WAN interface 334. The circuitconfiguration is shown in FIG. 26B.

FIGS. 27A-27B show a wireless configuration similar to the wired versionof FIGS. 26A-26B. The transceiver 350 and the antenna 339 are added toeach camera 302 for communication with an access point 304 forconnection to the LAN/WAN 306/332. The circuit configuration is shown inFIG. 27B.

FIGS. 28A-28C show a configuration where both the camera and thetelephone are equipped with integral WAN modems. A system with companioncameras is shown in FIG. 28B. A system including optional internalcameras is shown in FIG. 28C.

FIGS. 29-34 are schematic diagrams for the various circuits for the eachof the configurations. The pin numbers are those of the manufacturer.The processor 30, including RAM and NVM, is shown in FIGS. 29A-D. Theaudio interface is shown in FIG. 30. The LAN interface is shown in FIGS.31A-C. The WLAN interface is shown in FIGS. 32A-E. The video interfacesare shown in FIGS. 33A-F. The power supply is shown in FIG. 34.

A typical interconnect for voice gateways solution implemented with aSession Initiated Protocol (SIP) VOIP network is shown in FIG. 35. Thereare two widespread standards for exchange of streaming multimediainformation including voice and video. The oldest standard is theInternational Telecommunications Union (ITU) multimedia standard H.323.This standard is utilized for both packet telephone applications and forvideo streaming such as video teleconferencing. The H.323 incorporatessub-standards such as Q.931 for call initiation and signaling, H.245 forcall negotiation and Registration Admission and Status (RAS) for sessioncontrol.

A more recent standard is Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) that is theInternet Engineering Task Force's standard for multimedia conferencingover IP. SIP is an ASCII character transmission application layerprotocol that is utilized to originate, maintain and terminate callsbetween two or more end points. The control protocol is defined in theRFC 2543 documents.

There are many analogies between the two multimedia standards:

-   -   Clients must be intelligent for both standards (protocol        capable)    -   Network Intelligence is provided by servers in SIP, by        gatekeepers in H-323    -   SIP is based on the Internet/WWW, H.323 is based on Telephony        Q.SIG    -   SIP Signaling is UDP or TCP, H.323 is also UDP (ver.3) or TCP    -   Medial Protocol is RTP in both standards    -   Control Data is ASCII in SIP, Binary in H.323    -   SIP embodies IETF/IP sub-protocols, H.323 embodies ITU/ISDN sub        protocols    -   SIP is targeted for wide interoperability; H.323 is limited to        telephony carriers.

Because the Engineering Task Force's Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)is rapidly becoming the industry platform for widespread application ofVOIP telephony, adaptation of security applications and appliances toutilize SIP provides an existing and expanding platform on which toimplement sophisticated security applications. It also a allowswidespread interoperability between the security system with other IPdevices supported by SIP, such as VOIP devices. A more in-depthdiscussion of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) follows SessionInitiation Protocol (SIP) is the Internet Engineering Task Force's(IETF's) standard for multimedia conferencing over IP. SIP is anASCII-based, application-layer control protocol (defined in RFC 2543)that can be used to establish, maintain, and terminate calls between twoor more end points.

Like other VOIP protocols, SIP is designed to address the functions ofsignaling and session management within a packet telephony network.Signaling allows call information to be carried across networkboundaries. Session management provides the ability to control theattributes of an end-to-end call.

SIP provides the capabilities to:

-   -   Determine the location of the target end point-SIP supports        address resolution, name mapping, and call redirection.    -   Determine the media capabilities of the target end point—Via        Session Description Protocol (SDP); SIP determines the “lowest        level” of common services between the end points. Conferences        are establishing using only the media capabilities that can be        supported by all ends.    -   Determine the availability of the target end point-If a call        cannot be completed because the target end point is unavailable;        SIP determines whether the called party is already on the phone        or did not answer the allotted number of rings. It then returns        a message indicating why the target end point was unavailable.    -   Establish a session between the originating and target end        point—If the call can be completed, SIP establishes a session        between the end points. SIP also supports mid-call changes, such        as the addition of another end point to the conference or the        changing of a media characteristic or codec.    -   Handle the transfer and termination of calls-SIP supports the        transfer of calls from one end point to another. During a call        transfer, SIP simple establishes a session between the        transferee and a new end point (specified by the transferring        party) and terminates the session between the transferee and the        transferring party. At the end of call, SIP terminates the        sessions between all parties. Conferences can consist of two or        more users and can be established using multicast or multiple        unicast sessions.

With specific reference to FIG. 35, the heart of the system is the SIPgateway 400 with unified messaging 402. The SIP telephones 403 areconnected to the SIP proxy server 404 via a firewall 403. Facilitysecurity databases 406 are associated with each facility on the systemand are connected to the associated proxy server. Signal controllers 408and links 410 are connected via the gateway 400. Various units may beconnected to the system such as the POTS telephones 300(A), the IPtelephones 300(IP); the guard stations GS and the companion cameras 302,via both the gateway 400 and through the PSTN network link. A PBXconnection 412 may also be utilized.

Components of SIP: SIP is a peer-to-peer protocol. The peers in asession are called User Agents (UAs). A user agent can function in oneof the following roles:

-   -   User agent client (QAC)—A client application that initiates the        SIP request.    -   User agent server (UAS)—A server application that contacts the        user when a SIP request is received and that returns a response        on behalf of the user.

Typically, a SIP end point is capable of functioning as both a UAC and aUAS, but functions only as one or the other per transaction. Whether theendpoint functions as a UAC or a UAS depends on the UA that initiatedthe request.

From an architecture standpoint, the physical components of a SIPnetwork can be grouped into two categories: clients and servers.

In addition, the SIP servers can interact with other applicationservices, such as Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) servers,location servers, a database application, RADIUS server, or anextensible markup language (XML) application. These application servicesprovide back-end services such as directory, authentication, and billingservices.

SIP Clients: SIP clients include:

-   -   Phones—Can act as either a UAS or UAC. Softphones (PCs that have        phone capabilities installed) and Cisco SIP IP phones can        initiate SIP request and respond to requests.    -   Gateways—Provide call control. Gateways provide many services,        the most common being a translation function between SIP        conferencing endpoints and other terminal types. This function        includes translation between transmission formats and between        communications procedures. In addition, the gateway translates        between audio and video codecs and performs call setup and        clearing on both the LAN side and the switched-circuit network        side.

SIP Servers: An SIP request through a proxy server 406 is shown in FIG.35. If a proxy server is used, the caller UA sends and INVITE request tothe proxy server, the proxy server determines the path, and thenforwards the request to the callee. As shown in FIG. 36, the calleeresponds to the proxy server, which in turn, forwards the response tothe caller, see FIG. 37. The proxy server forwards the acknowledgementsof both parties. A session is then established between the caller andcallee. Real-time transfer protocol is used for the communicationbetween the caller and callee, as shown in FIG. 38. If a redirect server420 is used, see FIGS. 36, 37, 38, the caller UA sends and INVITErequest to the redirect sever, the redirect server contacts the locationserver to determine the path to the callee, and then the redirect serversends the information back to the caller. The caller then acknowledgesreceipt of the information, as shown in FIG. 39. The caller then sendsthe request to the device indicated in the redirection information. Oncethe request reaches the callee, it sends back a response and the calleracknowledges the response. Real-time transfer protocol is used for thecommunication between the caller and the callee as shown in FIG. 40.

The SIP gateway-to-SIP gateway record route and timing sequence is shownin FIG. 41. Call redirection is shown in FIG. 42. FIG. 43 shows callset-up in SDP for a voice call with or without associated video. FIG. 44shows a typical time sequence for the audio, event and video streamsassociated with the system, including audio over the telephone, eventdetection and associated video.

SIP servers include:

-   -   Proxy server—The proxy server is an intermediate device that        receives SIP requests from a client and then forwards the        requests on the client's behalf. Basically, proxy servers        receive SIP messages and forward them to the next SIP server in        the network. Proxy servers can provide functions such as        authentication, authorization, network access control, routing,        reliable request retransmission, and security.    -   Redirect server—Provides the client with information about the        next hop or hops that a message should take and then the client        contacts the next hop server or UAS directly.    -   Registrar server—Processes requests from UACs for registration        of their current location. Registrar servers are often        co-located with redirect or proxy server.

How SIP Works: SIP is a simple, ASCII-based protocol that uses requestsand responses to establish communication among the various components inthe network and to ultimately establish a conference between two or moreend points.

Users in a SIP network are identified by unique SIP addresses. A SIPaddress is similar to an e-mail address and is in the format ofsip:userID@gateway.com. The user ID can be either a user name or anE.164 address.

Users register with a registrar server using their assigned SIPaddresses. The registrar server provides this information to thelocation server upon request.

When a user initiates a call, a SIP request is sent to a SIP server(either a proxy or a redirect server). The request includes the addressof the caller (in the From header field) and the address of the intendedcallee (in the To header field). The following sections provide simpleexamples of successful, point-to-point calls established using a proxyand a redirect server.

Over time, a SIP end user might move between end systems. The locationof the end user can be dynamically registered with the SIP server. Thelocation server can use one or more protocols (including finger, rwhois,and LDAP) to locate the end user. Because the end user can be logged inat more than one station, it might return more than one address for theend user. If the request is coming through a SIP proxy server, the proxyserver will try each of the returned addresses until locates the enduser. If the request is coming through a SIP redirect server, theredirect server forwards all the address to the caller in the Contactheader field of the invitation response.

Using A Proxy Server: If a proxy server is used, the caller UA sendsINVITE request to the proxy server, the proxy server determines thepath, and then forwards the request to the callee.

The callee responds to the proxy server, which in turn, forwards theresponse to the caller.

SIP Response Through A Proxy Server: The proxy server forwards theacknowledgments of both parties. A session is then established betweenthe caller and callee. Real-time Transfer Protocol (RTP) is used for thecommunication between the caller and the callee.

Using a Redirect Server: If a redirect server is used, the caller UAsends an INVITE request to the redirect server, the redirect servercontacts the location server to determine the path to the callee, andthen the redirect server sends that information back to the caller. Thecaller then acknowledges receipt of the information.

The caller then sends a request to the device indicated in theredirection information (which could be the callee or another serverthat will forward the request). Once the request reaches the callee, itsends back a response and the caller acknowledges the response. RTP isused for the communication between the caller and the callee.

In addition to SIP, there are other protocols that facilitate voicetransmission over IP. One such protocol is H.323. H.323 originated as anInternational Telecommunications Union (ITU) multimedia standard and isused for both packet telephony and video streaming. The H.323 standardincorporates multiple protocols, including Q.931 for signaling, H.245for negotiation, and Registration Admission and Status (RAS) for sessioncontrol. H.323 was the first standard for call control for VOIP and issupported on all Cisco Systems' voice gateways. SIP and H.323 weredesigned to address session control and signaling functions in adistributed call control architecture. Although SIP and H.323 can alsobe used to communicate to limited intelligence end points, they areespecially well suited for communication with intelligent end points.Although SIP messages are not directly compatible with H.323, bothprotocols can coexist in the same packet telephony network if a devicethat supports the interoperability is available. For example, a callagent could use H.323 to communicate with gateways and use SIP forinner-call agent signaling. Then, after the bearer connection is set up,the bearer information flows between the different gateways as an RTPstream.

FIG. 45 depicts a system having a plurality of pre-programmed signals inaddition to the voice stream associated with the VOIP telephone. In thisconfiguration certain sounds such as a gunshot or cough will activatethe system as well as the voice stream 500. In addition, preprogrammedrequests in word or text form may also be included such as HELP, POLICE,FIRE, AMBULANCE, BLEEDING, EMS, DOCTOR and the like. The selectedrequest is then routed to the appropriate response team by activating asignal to a guard station 502, police 504, fire department 506, and EMS508 and the like. The system data base is also notified as indicated at510 and various notification priorities and responses may be activatedsuch as e-MAIL, TELEPHONE, INTERNET and WIRELESS, and the like.

While certain embodiments and features of the subject invention havebeen described in detail herein it should be understood that the subjectinvention includes all modifications and enhancements within the scopeand spirit of the subject claims.

1-53. (canceled)
 54. A visual surveillance system comprising: anemergency telephone at an emergency call location, the emergency calllocation being remote from a monitoring station, the emergency telephonebeing operable for use by an emergency user at the emergency calllocation to place an emergency call, the emergency telephone being incommunication with an IP network; when an emergency call is placed anemergency call signal being provided from the emergency telephone to theIP network; a surveillance camera trained on the emergency user duringuse of the emergency telephone to place an emergency call, the camerabeing connected to the IP network, the camera when activated beingoperable to provide to the IP network compressed image data, thecompressed image data including at least one visual image of theemergency user during the use of the emergency telephone; and themonitoring station being connected to the IP network for receiving thecompressed image data, the monitoring station being operable to displayfrom the compressed image data at least one visual image of theemergency user.
 55. The system of claim 54, and further comprising: acontrol system in communication with the IP network, the control systembeing operable to receive the emergency call signal, the control systembeing operable to provide to the monitoring station notice of theemergency call signal.
 56. The system of claim 54, and furthercomprising: an access door operable by the emergency user to gain accessto the emergency telephone, the control system being responsive when anemergency user opens the access door.
 57. The system of claim 54, andfurther comprising: the emergency telephone being a VOIP telephone. 58.The system of claim 54, and further comprising: the emergency telephonebeing an incompatible telephone, the incompatible telephone beingincompatible for communication over an IP network; a voice over IPconversion device connected to the incompatible telephone for receivingan incompatible telephone signal, and the conversion device beingoperable to transmit to the IP network a sequence of IP packetsconveying the telephone signal.
 59. The system of claim 58, and furthercomprising: a PBX switch for switching a plurality of incompatibletelephones, the IP conversion device being connected to the PBX fortransmitting to the IP network a sequence of IP packets conveying anincompatible telephone signal from any of the plurality of incompatibletelephone.
 60. The system of claim 57, and further comprising: a hub forconnecting the camera and the VOIP telephone to the network.
 61. Thesystem of claim 60, and further comprising: a power supply associatedwith the hub for powering the camera and the VOIP telephone.
 62. Thesystem of claim 54, and further comprising: a telephone associated withthe monitoring station, the telephone being operable for an emergencyoperator to communicate with the emergency user during use of theemergency telephone.
 63. The system of claim 54, and further comprising:the monitoring station having VOIP communications capability forpersonal to communicate with the emergency user.
 64. A surveillancesystem adapted for use with an emergency telephone system. the emergencytelephone system including an emergency telephone accessible by arespective emergency user at a respective emergency call location forplacing a respective emergency call, the emergency location being remotefrom personnel receiving the emergency call from the emergency telephoneon the emergency telephone system, the surveillance system comprising:an internet protocol network; a network interface connected to theinternet protocol network, the network being connected to the emergencytelephone system. the emergency telephone system via the networkinterface being in communication with the internet protocol network toprovide to the internet protocol network the emergency call, theemergency call being provided to the internet protocol network in aformat compatible with the internet protocol network; a surveillancecamera separate from the emergency telephone, the surveillance camerabeing operable to capture visual image data of the emergency userplacing the emergency call on the emergency telephone, the surveillancecamera being in communication with the internet protocol network toprovide to the internet protocol network captured visual image data ofthe emergency user placing the emergency call on the emergencytelephone; a monitoring station in communication with the internetprotocol network to receive the captured visual image data of theemergency user placing the emergency call on the emergency telephone,the monitoring station upon receiving the captured visual image data ofthe emergency user placing the emergency call on the emergency telephonebeing operable to display for viewing by personnel at the monitoringstation a visual image of the emergency user placing the emergency callon the emergency telephone; and the emergency call received from theinternet protocol network being provided to personnel at the monitoringstation.
 65. The system of claim 64, and further comprising: themonitoring station displaying an icon on a map for indicating a positionof the emergency telephone.
 66. The system of claim 64, and furthercomprising: an apparatus for archiving a call and security system datafor later retrieval purposes.
 67. An emergency communication systemcomprising: an emergency telephone at an emergency call location, theemergency call location being remote from a monitoring station, theemergency telephone being usable by an emergency user at the emergencycall location to generate an emergency call, the emergency telephonebeing in communication with the internet protocol network to provide tothe internet protocol network the emergency signal; a surveillancecamera at the emergency call location, the surveillance camera beingoperable to capture visual image data of the emergency user using theemergency telephone to generate the emergency call, the surveillancecamera being in communication with the internet protocol network toprovide to the internet protocol network captured visual image data ofthe emergency user; and a monitoring station in communication with theinternet protocol network to receive the captured visual image data ofthe emergency user, the monitoring station upon receiving the capturedvisual image data of the emergency user being operable to display forviewing by personnel a visual image of the emergency user, the emergencycall being directed to the personnel at the monitoring station viewingthe visual image of the emergency user.